There was actually a T3-level Super Soldier Serum.
Such a good thing—Zhao Chen naturally wouldn't refuse it. Without a second thought, he skillfully injected a vial into himself.
Hiss, hiss, hiss…
Zhao Chen gasped sharply as the familiar agony washed over him once more, as if every cell in his body was being torn apart.
His joints crackled like firecrackers going off inside him.
Thump, thump, thump, thump…
Zhao Chen's heart raced faster and faster. If a doctor had been monitoring him at that moment, they would have been shocked to discover that his heartbeat had exceeded several times that of a normal person!
Zhao Chen convulsed violently on the bed, his expression twisted in pain, even blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
His hands gripped the edge of the bed.
Crack!
That was the sound of the bed frame breaking.
"Aaaaaahhhh…" Zhao Chen let out a pained roar before completely losing consciousness.
He didn't know how much time had passed when he woke up again, feeling as though he had slept for an entire century.
Yet his entire body felt incredibly comfortable. He opened his eyes and looked around—the surroundings hadn't changed at all, but Zhao Chen felt as if the world he saw was somehow different from before.
But he couldn't quite pinpoint exactly what was different.
He stood up and examined his body.
On the surface, it was essentially the same as before—still that perfectly proportioned, masculine physique full of charm.
Zhao Chen raised a hand and summoned a mirror, looking at his reflection.
His eyes seemed deeper now, and his body felt slightly altered in ways not visible on the surface.
But when Zhao Chen clenched his fist, he had a feeling that his current strength could even shatter the hull armor of a T1 starship with a single punch.
He calmed the fighting urge rising within him.
Sitting cross-legged on the bed.
Perhaps because of the Super Soldier Serum, he felt that many of the things he had previously pondered now seemed different in his mind.
First, he quickly drafted a message and sent it to Li Yaqi, instructing her to stop investigating his affairs at the North Star Starship Military Academy, or she would bear the consequences.
In Zhao Chen's plans, Li Yaqi's connection must not be exposed.
Whether she knew his identity or not didn't matter—the key was that no one else could know Li Yaqi was connected to him! So he couldn't have any real-world contact with her.
Next, he sent a message to Chu Xuan.
He told her that he had given some thought to the Chu Family's recruitment offer and suggested meeting in the evening to discuss it.
"I have to give the Chu Family an answer. Otherwise, having this girl Chu Xuan following me around always feels a bit awkward," Zhao Chen muttered to himself.
The Chu Family's attitude toward him would affect Zhao Chen's development in the near future.
He had to handle this carefully!
One misstep could lead to a bottomless abyss.
After sending these two messages, Zhao Chen checked the system rewards he had just received.
[Host: Zhao Chen
Occupation: Top Starship Engineer
Special Attributes: Fleet Luck Bonus, Eye of Insight
Points: 8720
Task Points: 64
Starship Count: 30 vessels
Mission: Annual Mission (Incomplete)]
Warehouse: T2 Lion King-class Heavy Interstellar Missile Ship Technical Blueprint, T2 Snow Mastiff-class Heavy Interstellar Battleship Technical Blueprint, T2 Black Knight-class Light Interstellar Combat Mech Blueprint, T3 Andromeda-class Interstellar Medical Ship Technical Blueprint...
With the points and task points, exchanging for a suitable T3 level starship was more than enough.
As for the target to exchange for, Zhao Chen already had a plan in mind.
He turned his gaze to the two newly acquired technical blueprints.
[T2 Snow Mastiff-class Heavy Interstellar Battleship] and [T3 Andromeda-class Interstellar Medical Ship].
The T2 Snow Mastiff-class Heavy Interstellar Battleship was an interstellar battleship, belonging to the main combat-type series of starships.
Interstellar battleships were starships equipped with heavy armor and heavy firepower.
Their terrifying armor strength, if hull size was not considered, was on par with the average hull armor strength per unit of interstellar frigates.
Of course, Zhao Chen's T2 Black Rhinoceros-class interstellar heavy assault frigate was an exception.
"Currently, the starships I possess are the T2 Queen Bee-class Heavy Carrier Starship and the T2 Black Rhinoceros-class interstellar heavy assault frigate.
The blueprints are for a T2 Lion King-class Heavy Interstellar Missile Ship and a T2 Snow Mastiff-class Heavy Interstellar Battleship; these two starship blueprints perfectly fill the missing pieces in the fleet's starship types.
One provides crucial long-range firepower output, while the other serves as the main starship charging into battle and engaging enemies head-on.
With the addition of these two starships, my fleet can truly be considered an interstellar fleet," Zhao Chen muttered.
Generally, an interstellar fleet required at least three or more starship types to coordinate in combat, allowing the advantages of fleet combat to be maximized.
Zhao Chen looked at the T3 Andromeda-class Interstellar Medical Ship. This was a support-type starship. Although not a combat-type starship, it was indispensable on the battlefield.
So far, Zhao Chen's fleet had not suffered any personnel casualties, but who knew if that would change in the future?
If casualties occurred, an interstellar medical ship would be essential for treatment.
If every injured soldier had to be treated at a starport, the expenses would be significant.
Moreover, timely treatment could greatly reduce soldiers' suffering and mortality rates.
"T2 starships are merely a transitional phase. To truly establish a foothold in the Stellar Glory Empire, one must possess a substantial number of T3 starships!" Zhao Chen said solemnly.
Based on what he had learned from Chu Xuan, the Imperial Army had already begun planning to batch decommission T2 starships from Imperial Fleets on the battlefront and fully equip them with T3 level interstellar warships.
This meant that the era of T2 interstellar warships would soon be completely phased out from national-level interstellar battlefields.
By then, the battlefield would belong to T3 level starships and T4 level starships.
Not only the Stellar Glory Empire but also other interstellar empire powers and civilizations within the Galactic Alliance were implementing similar armament plans.
He had to overcome the hurdle of T3 interstellar warships as soon as possible!
...
At that moment, Li Yaqi, who was studying Zhao Chen, received a third communication from that mysterious person.
Upon seeing the content of the message, Li Yaqi's expression turned panicked, but she quickly calmed down.
"My actions have made that person uncomfortable; I was too rash." Li Yaqi patted her head, which had been rather impulsive lately.
Having obtained those Starship Technologies, she had suddenly grown unsatisfied and wanted to pursue deeper cooperation with that gentleman.
But she had forgotten that if he were to abandon their collaboration, she wouldn't even have a place to cry.
The initiative in this partnership had always been in his hands, not hers.
She couldn't investigate any further. "Li Yaqi, do you realize you almost crossed the line?" she scolded herself inwardly for her impulsiveness.
However, one thing was clear: this person was definitely at the North Star Starship Military Academy. As for exactly who it was, that remained to be determined.
At this moment, Li Yaqi couldn't help but think of that young man named Zhao Chen.
Many factors pointed to this young man.
"Could it really be him?"